As you step onto the fabric hammock, you feel a jolt of fear. Will you fall? As you stretch and see that the sling, suspended securely from the ceiling, supports your weight, your fear melts away and you feel weightless and free, like a bird in flight. Aerial yoga hammocks allow practitioners to go into deeper stretches during traditional yoga poses, since the slings provide support and literal safety nets. Once a quirky niche practice, aerial yoga is now so widespread you can find a studio in any corner of the Valley.

Elevate Yoga & Wellness
Aerial yoga instructors Amanda Lopez and Brandi Boers call their yoga classes “art yoga.” It’s fitting, since their studio is located in the MonOrchid, Downtown’s coolest gallery/café/plant shop/co-working space. Students from “all walks of life” come for their aerial yoga classes, Boers says, adding that each intimate session contains only 12 students. New students pay $10 for a single class, instead of the regular $15. A five-class package costs $50 for new yogis ($65 for regulars), and 10 classes cost $120 ($200 for regulars).
214 E. Roosevelt St., Phoenix
602-456-2762, elevateyogaaz.com

Tough Lotus
Tough Lotus owner Amanda Paige says aerial yoga is fun and beneficial for people with injuries and those looking to cross-train, as the slings can be used for pullups and modified versions of traditional exercises and stretches. The Chandler yoga studio offers several classes every day of the week, with varying intensities to suit every fitness level. Prices start at $10 for an introduction class, $15 for a regular aerial class, $70 for a package of five classes, $135 for a 10-pack of classes and $255 for a group of 20 classes.
3050 N. Dobson Rd., Chandler
480-886-8823, toughlotus.com

Spy Scottsdale Pilates & Yoga
The biggest strength of aerial yoga is that the sling “acts as a self-supporting ‘spotting’ mechanism aiding in balance,” says Stephanye Nicole, a yoga instructor and co-manager at Spy in Paradise Valley. Nicole prides herself on the studio’s ambiance and instructors. “What makes our studio special is the peaceful environment we create… as well as the teachers we feature,” she says. The first class is complimentary; after that, monthly memberships can be purchased: four classes for $159, eight classes for $219, unlimited classes for $299, all per month.
6500 N. Scottsdale Rd., Paradise Valley
480-685-3556, spyfitness.net

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